Martin Benno Blumenthal ’80

Benno died Dec. 15, 2018. He graduated from Huron High School in Ann Arbor, Mich. As an undergraduate he tackled difficult topics in physics, including, for his thesis, the Einstein–Podolsky–Rosen (EPR) paradox, and worked to construct a localized quantum mechanical model. He graduatedmagna cum laude and went on to earn a Ph.D. in physical oceanography at MIT/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. His research there, on the oceanographic energy spectrum, led to a varied career studying oceans and climate.  

He arrived at Columbia University in 1987 as postdoc and made a long career there, producing a wide range of publications in geoscience and data science. Benno created the Data Library at Columbia, and at his death colleagues praised him, too, for his kindness to others.